Pfizer Inc. (PFE) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) saw a large drop in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 50,038,556 shares, a drop of 8.7% from the November 15th total of 54,814,537 shares. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 13,059,924 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.8 days.

In other Pfizer news, EVP Rady A. Johnson sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.07, for a total transaction of $296,560.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 46,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,740,918.41. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Alexander R. Mackenzie sold 7,350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.65, for a total transaction of $262,027.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 117,432 shares in the company, valued at $4,186,450.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 36,800 shares of company stock worth $1,327,248 over the last ninety days. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Altfest L J & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 67.0% during the second quarter. Altfest L J & Co. Inc. now owns 107,278 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,603,000 after purchasing an additional 43,024 shares during the period. HL Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.1% during the second quarter. HL Financial Services LLC now owns 3,222,985 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $108,260,000 after purchasing an additional 35,744 shares during the period. Sphera Funds Management LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the first quarter valued at approximately $13,342,000. Searle & CO. raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 92.7% during the first quarter. Searle & CO. now owns 80,052 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,739,000 after purchasing an additional 38,500 shares during the period. Finally, Hartford Financial Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 10.8% during the second quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 8,538 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 835 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.75% of the company’s stock.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on PFE shares. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $39.00 target price on shares of Pfizer and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 19th. Deutsche Bank set a $38.00 target price on shares of Pfizer and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 11th. Barclays set a $38.00 target price on shares of Pfizer and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 11th. BMO Capital Markets set a $37.00 target price on shares of Pfizer and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 10th. Finally, ValuEngine raised shares of Pfizer from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Pfizer has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $38.77.

Pfizer (PFE) opened at $36.46 on Thursday. Pfizer has a 1-year low of $30.90 and a 1-year high of $37.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The company has a market cap of $221,321.06, a P/E ratio of 14.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.01.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.02. Pfizer had a net margin of 18.69% and a return on equity of 25.41%. The firm had revenue of $13.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. Pfizer’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. equities analysts expect that Pfizer will post 2.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Monday, December 18th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the biopharmaceutical company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 2nd will be issued a $0.34 dividend. This is a positive change from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 1st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.73%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.01%.

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About Pfizer

Pfizer Inc (Pfizer) is a research-based global biopharmaceutical company. The Company is engaged in the discovery, development and manufacture of healthcare products. Its global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines, as well as consumer healthcare products. The Company manages its commercial operations through two business segments: Pfizer Innovative Health (IH) and Pfizer Essential Health (EH).